Bowen Yang gives the straight performance of his life opposite a passionate Sydney Sweeney as Saturday Night Live welcomes Glen Powell to address affair rumors, takes aim at the viral disaster “Wonka Experience” and even ‘Air Bud’?
Sydney Sweeney is a beautiful young woman, but she’s also an acting powerhouse. We have to admit to being a little surprised that Saturday Night Live leaned into the latter of those attributes, considering their track record with beautiful hosts (see Jacob Elordi).
Her beauty wasn’t ignored, but she was allowed to really delve into her character work, showcasing drama, angst and pure silliness in equal measure. It’s a testament to her talents as a performer that she was able to slide almost seamlessly into such a variety of situations, sometimes outperforming the main cast.
Film Independent
Aidy Bryant Calls Natalie Portman a ‘Stupid Bitch’ While ‘Roasting’ Celebs at Independent Spirit Awards
View Story
We could have (and did) expect the inevitable Glen Powell cameo as Sydney addressed several of the controversies that have surrounded her, including unsubstantiated rumors that she and her co-star had an affair. What we didn’t see coming was a completely random Gina Gershon appearance in the night’s strongest sketch.
After Shane Gillis left fans scratching their heads with his controversial appearance last week, it was nice to see the show back in fine form with solid comedy, great performances, and a talented host to hold it all together. Nothing was safe this week, from Biden at the border to the viral “Wonka Experience” and even … Air Bud?
As usual, we’re ranking all the sketches from worst to first, including the Monologue, Cold Open, “Weekend Update” and any sketches that were cut for time but made their way online. We’ll skip the musical guests, because they’re not usually funny — unless Ashlee Simpson shows up. We wrap up with a look at the cast-member who had the strongest week.
Getty/NBC
Ashlee Simpson Revisits SNL Lip-Sync Debacle 20 Years Later
View Story
Cold Open: Inside Politics
SNL took this whole idea of equal time for political candidates very seriously with an almost identical Cold Open to the one where Trump supporters talked about how great he is. The only difference is that while the Trump supporters also let slip some of their concerns, Biden’s sycophants kept up the charade to the point of obnoxiousness. The problem is that this sketch wasn’t any funnier than that one, with even Heidi Gardner failing to bring it home as CNN’s Dana Bash. It was just the same thing over and over again, but not with any punch. And Mikey Day’s Biden at the end didn’t do enough to dispel the delusion illusion with what could have been a much funnier finish.
Big Bench
A spoof of Hot Bench and its three judges, this 17-judge sketch came off half-baked. We thought it might be going someplace when Chloe Fineman came out as the cigarette-smoking sister of the plaintiff (and former fiancée of the defendant), but then the potential for comedy kind of fizzled away. We’d also have liked to spend a little more time with the other judges. This should have been pure chaos throughout, but it wasn’t. And the case itself was actually less outrageous than some that actually air on these court shows. What was the point of all those judges if the only joke you had was introducing them as “the cute one” and the like? This was a huge missed opportunity.
Getty
Why Mark Ruffalo Turned Down SNL Hosting Gig
View Story
Monologue: Sydney Sweeney
A little nervous to be speaking live on television at the top, she still got a pretty good laugh (and dig) at her superhero debut when listing what people might have seen her in and adding, “You definitely did not see me in Madame Web. She also briefly touched on Trump supporters at her mom’s party, her job at Universal Studios, and her so-called nutritionist. It wasn’t the most confident monologue, but she had some cute moments and came up with the best way to finally end those affair rumors with Anyone But You co-star Glen Powell — using the real Glen Powell.
Hooters
The inevitable Sydney-Sweeney-has-large-breasts sketch didn’t come until later in the sketch. Sure, it was a topic but this was the first place where it took center stage, even though no one mentioned it overtly. Nevertheless, we suppose we should applaud SNL for showing restraint as the show is notorious for fixating on the beauty of its prettiest guests to the detriment of their talents. Sydney didn’t have to suffer that most of the night, with her acting chops really shining through, but there was no way they were going to let her go without at least one spotlight on it.
Jennifer Lopez Speaks Out On Ayo Edebiri Referring To Her As ‘One Long Scam’
View Story
Air Bud
Carried entirely by Sydney Sweeney’s performance as the head cheerleader “so desperate to be popular” she was either oblivious to the fact Air Bud was a dog or didn’t care, this sketch was only so-so in the laughs department. But we give the actor portraying Bud huge points for a great performance, while Marcello Hernández gave him a sandwich for all his great work. Sydney was rock solid as a vapid teen trying to flirt her way into control, while Marcello’s underwhelming reactions left us a little disappointed after he was so strong last week. We almost thought the ending scene with Ego was already going on too long, but she landed the final joke well enough, so we’ll let it pass.
airbnb Design
Chloe Troast joined Sydney Sweeney as Chanel and Chanel (pronounced differently) to really speak to every single airbnb experience you’ve had. Is the design more than a little lame? Is it sparse and confusing as to what the aesthetic is? We’re not sure when they slipped in a bit about the viral — and disastrous — ‘Wonka Experience’ in Glasgow, but it was an inspired addition. We also appreciated the implication that they may just have only one satisfied customer.
Getty
These Celebs Hosted Saturday Night Live While They Were Still Teenagers
View Story
Makeup Artists
Sarah Sherman and Sydney Sweeney almost kept it straight throughout this sketch about Heidi Gardner’s bride being left at the altar. We were loving the idea of their makeup artist characters trying to balance appearing concerned for their client’s well-being and wanting to make sure they got paid, got a review, got a photo for the ‘Gram. It was all just too accurate to the hustle industry. You can’t quite let go of your own self-interest enough to care about someone else. Plus, we can already imagine “Shoot! Shoot!” becoming a recurring bit for Sarah in future roles. The premise is simple enough — not caring about someone in a heartbreaking situation — that it could be adapted to almost any situation. This one was a lot more fun than we expected going in.
NYPD Interns
Julia Sweeney and Chloe Fineman were pretty funny in a clever sketch that nevertheless had a surprisingly subdued tone. We were fully on board with their 22-year-old characters being masters at using the power of social media to track the internet footprints of wanted criminals, with some funny reveals along the way. We also loved the chief and officers not at all being as savvy, which is probably very true of the actual police force — and really any agency dominated by older people. This was a sketch that worked on paper but faltered just a bit in the execution. We suspect it was the lackadaisical performances of the leads leading to less-than from the rest of the cast, too.
X / YouTube
John Mayer Asks Conan O’Brien Why SNL Performers Have A ‘Coldness’ Towards Him
View Story
Loud Tables
We always appreciate a sketch that speaks to the human condition. This one was all about the different ways you can quiet a group of guys and a group of ladies. For the guys, it’s as simple as getting them into their feelings, because we all know that guys can’t handle that. For the ladies, it’s about thinking of their mothers being really just like them at one point in her life. We were fully invested in this couple just wanting a few quiet moments alone, so we were not prepared for the surprise cameo toward the end and the gut-wrenching twist — though the final beat of the sketch was definitely expected.
Please Don’t Destroy: RIP
We didn’t see the end coming, but definitely appreciate the sheer absurdity — no, sorry, this is very serious — of the details offered in the death of the boys’ good friend. Sydney Sweeney brought her acting talent to bear as herself taking it all in and trying not to laugh. Growing more skeptical along the way the more ridiculous the details got, it all crescendoed beautifully with two confirmations and that unexpected ending that brought it all together. PDD has such a distinctive comedic voice and when they’re on — as they were here — no one does it better.
Getty
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Bring SNL ‘Weekend Update’ to Emmy Awards
View Story
Weekend Update
This may have been the strongest opening sequence of jokes we’ve seen this season from Colin Jost and Michael Che, punctuated brilliantly by Che’s comment about being able to have a good working relationship with someone you hate. They took on Biden and Trump at the border, McConnell stepping down (with a series of blistering “seen here” jokes about the Republican).
Heidi Gardner gave her all as a Woman Aging Gracefully, with some funny lines about how to keep a man and all the extensive work she’s had done. Let’s just say, don’t try any of this at home, with your doctor, or down at your mechanic’s garage! The visual joke at the end was a surprise and incredibly well done. We might have nightmares about that one for a few weeks. Now, guess her age!
For their second segment, the boys got some strong audience reactions, but none was more of a whirlwind of emotion than when Che took on Women’s History Month with the most obvious cycle joke in the world. He also got a big groan with his new meaning for LGBTQ after Staten Island announced a separate parade for its queer citizens after the official one denied them. Their energy was infectious as they continue their hot streak — and slipped in one more McConnell joke.
NBC
Seth Meyers Reveals Least Favorite Late Night Host, Calls His Kids ‘Dumb’ While Day Drinking with Dua Lipa
View Story
Inside one of the best and funniest costumes we’ve seen, Ego Nwodim finally revealed the father of her apparent quadruplets as the virgin pregnant stingray. As it turns out, she’s not so pure after all — and neither is Michael Che. Props to Ego for keeping her face straight and staying in character with such a ridiculous premise, while Che proved a great foil. Not that we could really see it … but we can see it.
Bowen’s Straight
Sydney Sweeney has been pouring herself into every performance tonight, and none more impressively than this faux drama about her crush on Bowen Yang, only to discover he’s actually the straightest bad boy this cast has possibly ever seen. Bowen went toe to toe with Sweeny, delivering an authentic and funny straight persona that would have been insulting to straight men if it hadn’t been so damned accurate. Sometimes broad stereotypes are just right. Performed to the hilt, everything worked in this, including that expected cameo at the end … and the reactions. We always appreciate when the curtain gets pulled back to let the players act as versions of themselves (like those brilliant Kyle Mooney/Leslie Jones bits), and this “Bowen’s straight” angle was funny enough, we’d love to see it again.
NBC
Shane Gillis SNL Sketches Ranked: Fired Former Cast Member Brings His Controversies to SNL Stage
View Story
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Chloe Fineman was definitely the go-to utility player this week, performing alongside Sydney Sweeney in almost every sketch. But most of those roles were supporting, without a lot of dynamic elements to flex herself, save her NYPD intern role.
It was definitely a night for ensemble sketches, with many of the players appearing over and over again, like Marcello Hernández and Mikey Day, just not in lead roles. That left us mulling over both Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim.
Both enjoyed buys nights, and both had lead roles that left us wanting. But they also slayed us in other places, like their respective “Weekend Update” characters. Ultimately, the edge has to go to Heidi because she really came through with a strong supporting performance as a jilted bride, as well as her other roles.
Only her Dana Bash left us underwhelmed, but it was a straight-woman role, which makes it more forgivable than Ego’s bland “Big Bench” performance. This one was so close, though, it was almost a tie.
That said, we’d have loved to have gotten more between Bowen Yang — who was vastly underutilized here — and Sydney as their chemistry in “Bowen’s Straight” was off the charts.
“Saturday Night Live” returns next week with host Josh Brolin and musical guest Ariana Grande.
